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More than 50 models of tablet computers will launch worldwide this year, spurred by next month's debut of Apple's iPad, said an executive at Arm Holdings, the British chip designer, adding that wireless carriers will begin shipping them in the second quarter. "You'll see a lot more in the third quarter," said Roy Chen, a global mobile-computing manager.

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More than 50 models of tablet computers will launch worldwide this year, spurred by next month's debut of Apple's iPad, said an executive at Arm Holdings, the British chip designer, adding that wireless carriers will begin shipping them in the second quarter. "You'll see a lot more in the third quarter," said Roy Chen, a global mobile-computing manager.

Sony's BDV-E570 3-D-ready Blu-ray home-theater system now will be offered at Best Buy for $550. The system, which will work with the 3-D-capable Sony TVs that will begin shipping this summer, also features content streaming from sites such as Netflix, Pandora and Amazon Video On Demand.

Americans will own an estimated 2 million Web-connected TV sets by the end of this year, but that blossoming trend isn't necessarily good news for application developers. According to this report, developers who come up with a plethora of apps for mobile phones are finding the TV platform a much harder nut to crack.

Intel, after watching how Apple and its iPhone software effort has made big bucks and bolstered handset adoption, now wants to use a similar strategy for its Atom processor and netbook adoption. Intel is reaching out to developers to build software that can go from netbooks to smartphones running on its chip.

Blue-chip marketers are beginning to take smartphones seriously as a platform from which they can engage consumers in highly personalized ways, according to a new study by Juniper Research. "Retailers, merchants and brands are ... becoming aware that the mobile device is being [personalized] more and more and therefore is becoming an opportunity for unique, individual personal marketing [programs]," the report said.